Rankin, Pumford Named Captains for 2008-09 Season
9/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's head golf coach Andrew Sapp announced today (Sept. 2) that seniors Bill Rankin(Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) and Nick Pumford(St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) have been selected as captains for the upcoming 2008-09 season.
"We are excited to name Bill and Nick as our captains this year," said Sapp. "Both have shown a tremendous amount of growth over the past three years. They are great examples for the younger players on this team and people they can look to for advice. Hopefully, they will continue to improve as they have and will help lead this team to bigger and better things as we continue to try and win the Big Ten championship and make it to the NCAA Championship."
Rankin has played in 31 career events, starting his last 24 straight. He is carrying a 75.44 stroke average after posting a career-best junior season. Starting all 13 events in 2007-08, Rankin helped the Wolverines to their first NCAA Regional in eight years. He lowered his single-season best stroke average by over two strokes with a 74.18 per-round average and won two individual events -- 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout and the 2008 Maxwell. With his eight-under 202 tally at the Maxwell, Rankin set the U-M record for a 54-hole tournament total. Rankin also posted the highest finish for a U-M individual (third) at the Big Ten Championships since 1999.
"For me, being a captain is truly an honor," said Rankin. "From the time I went to my first football game when I was three I wanted to come to U-M. I feel very fortunate just to be a part of this athletic program and I can only hope during my time as captain that I uphold the values of excellence that are traditionally associated with U-M. It is exciting to work with Nick because I know how much this means to him. We are a driven and talented team but this year we need to stop talking about our potential and start living up to our expectations."
Pumford, who has played in 19 career events with 15 starts, used his junior season to become a mainstay in the Wolverine lineup. He started 10-of-11 events, posting a 75.03 stroke per-round average. Pumford earned his first collegiate tournament win at the 2007 Wolf Run Intercollegiate, tying a career-best single-round tally with a four-under 67 in the final round to win by two strokes. For his three-year career, he has averaged 75.74 strokes per round.
"It's a huge honor to be named captain for our team this year," said Pumford. "Being a captain at a Division I university and at the University of Michigan is something that I have strived for throughout my career. As a player and a person, I believe I have come a long way throughout my college career and hopefully Bill and I can use our experience in guiding the team. As far as captaining this team this year, it shouldn't be a tough task because the guys are self-motivated to succeed, so basically I'm just a guy someone can ask for help. Again, I feel privileged that coach Sapp has given this honor to Bill and me and we look forward to a great year with the team."
The Wolverines will open the 2008-09 season at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14, in Zionsville, Ind., at the Wolf Run Country Club. Pumford will look to defend last year's individual title and U-M will look to better its team runner-up finish from a year ago.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
